Mail-catcher.



No. ss|,a5o. Patented Nov. I3, I900. c. 0. 0011mm,

MAIL CATCHER.

(Application filed m. 26, 1900.

(No Model.)

2 Sheeis8heet l.

WITNESSES Patehted Nov. I3, I900.

N'o. ssgaso.

C. 0. COLEMAN.

MAIL GATGHEB.

Application filed Feb. 26, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Ml VEN'TOB WITNESSES:

11-4: Remus PETERS co. mam-uma. WASNINUTON. n. c.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. COLEMAN, OF KEYTESVILLE, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND NATHAN OZARK TATE & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

MAlL-CATCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,850, dated November 13,1900.

Application filed February 26, 1900.. Serial No. 6,520. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. COLEMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Keytesville, in the county of Chariton and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Mail-Catcher, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for transferring mail-sacks from a holding device at a station to a moving mailcar or from a moving car to a holding device or for simultaneously transferring from one device to the other; and the object is to provide a device f this character that shall be simple in its construction, adapted to operate quickly, and not liable to get out of order.

I will describe a mail-catcher embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car and of a fixed station-post, showing catchers embodying my invention as applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a station catcher. Fig. 3 is a side view of the car catcher. Fig. 4 is a section on the line a: {B of Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of a catcher attached to a car.

The catcher attached to a car 1 comprises a bifurcated plate 2, of cast metal or other suitable material, the two fingers of which are here shown as somewhat divergent. Springs 3 4 are attached to the inner sides of the fingers and meet at their ends toward a support for the plate. The plate 2 is mounted to swing on an arm 5, carried by the car, so that the catcher may be employed for catching a mail-sack when the car is moving in either direction. The catcher is .held in its adjusted position by means of a pin 6, passing through the arm 5 and adapted toengage in eitherone ofopposite notches. (Shown in the head portion of the catcher in Fig. 4E.) The pin is attached to a spring-pressed lever 7, pivoted to lugs extended downward from the arm 5. The inner end. of the arm 5 is pivoted between the plates of a bracket 8, attached to the inner side of the car, so that the catcher-carrying arm may be moved inward or outward through a doorway of the car. It is held in this adjusted inner or outer position by means of a pin 9, attached to a lever 10, mounted on the upper side of the bracket 8. The pin passes through an opening in the upper plate of the bracket and is adapted to engage in eitherone of two oppo site openings formed in the inner end of the arm 5, as indicated in Fig. 5.

To the outer arm or member of the catcher one end of aspring-plate 11 is attached. The free end of this lever extends considerably rearward of the arm 5, and the outer side of the outer arm is provided with a notch 12 to receive a ring 13, to which a mail-sack is attached. A cam-plate 14 is attached to the plate 2 and extends over the spring-plate 11, which temporarily holds the ring 13 in engagement with the spring-plate, but allows the same to slip 01f, as will be hereinafter described.

The station or stationary catcher is ordinarily like the catcher first described-that is, it comprises a plate 15, having divergent arms to which springs 16 are attached similar to the springs 3 and 4, and on the side of this plate nearest the track a spring-plate 17 is attached to receive a ring 13, to which a sack carried by the car is attached. This catcher-plate 15 is reversibly mounted on an arm 18, pivotally connected to cheek-pieces 19, attached to a post 20.

For temporarily holding the arm 18 in its horizontal position I employ a rod 21, which is pivotally connected to the arm 18 and is adapted to engage in either one of a series of notches 22, formed in the post 20. After the arm, however, shall have been raised to its horizontal position a lever 23, pivoted to the arm, is moved to engage at one end over a block 24, secured to the post 20 between the cheek-pieces 19 and having its end passing into a notch formed in the end of the arm 18. When this lever 23 is in the position indicated in Fig. 1, with its end resting on the block 24, the rod 21 may be moved from its notch and allow the arin to assume a perpendicular position when the lever 23 is disengaged from the block 2a. It will be noted that the free end of the lever 23 passes over and beyond the catcher 15. When the arm is in its horizontal position and the end of the lever 23 is engaged on the upper side of the block and above the pivot of the arm, the said lever forms practically a rigid connection between the arm and block.

In-operation should it be desired to transfer a mail-sack to a station catcher and a mail-sack from the station catcher to a car the mail bag or sack y, carried by the car, is

attached by any suitable means to its ring 13, which is engaged with the spring-plate 11, as indicated in Fig. 1. The mail-sack 2 being connected to its ring 13 the said ring is engaged with the spring-plate 17. Of course the two catchers must be placed substantially on thesanie horizontal line. As the car moves along toward the station the ring 13 will pass over the inner arm or member of the catcherplate 15 and also pass between the springs 16. At the same time the outer arm or member of the catcher-plate 2 will pass through the ring 13 which will pass between the springs 3 and 4:. At this time the catcher carried by the car will engage with the lever 23, swinging it out of its locking position, allowing the arm, with the catcher and its mailsack, to swing downward. It is understood, however, that this swinging motion is not absolutely necessary, but it may be preferred to mount the lever to swing, so as to remove it from any possible obstructions that might be carried by a freight-car or the like.

It is obvious that a mail-sack may be supported on either one of the catchers to be en; gaged by the other catcher. In other words, it is not necessary to support mail-bags on both of'.the catchers at the same time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A mail catcher, comprising a plate mounted to swing and having forwardly-projected arms, a spring-plate connected at one end to one of said arms and having its free end extended rearward of the swinging-point of the plate and holding devices on the inner side of the arms, substantially as specified.

2. A mail-catcher, comprising a swinging arm, a catcher-plate mounted to swing on said arm,the said plate having forwardly-extended arms, holding devices connected to the inner sides of said forwardly-projected arms, and a spring-plate extended along the outer side of said catcher-plate, the free end of said springplate being projected rearward of the swinging-point of the catcher-plate, substantially as specified.

3. A mail catcher, comprising an arm mounted to swing relatively to a support, a bifurcated plate mounted on said arm, the arms of the plate being divergent, springs connected to the inner sides of said arms and meeting at their free ends, a spring-plate attached to the outer side of the outer arm of the bifurcated plate, and a sack-suspending ring adapted to engage with said swinging arm, substantially as specified.

4. A mail-catching device for stations, comprising a post, an arm mounted to swing on said post, means for locking said arm in its horizontal position, a catcher-plate mounted on said arm and comprising divergent portions, springs mounted on the inner sides of said divergent portions, and a spring-plate attached to the outer side of. one of said divergent portions, the free end of said plate passing beyond the connection-of the plate and the firstnamed arm, substantially as specified.

5. In a mail-catcher, an arm connected to a car, whereby it may be swung into and out of the car, a bifurcated plate reversibly connected to the swinging arm, a spring-plate attached to the said bifurcated plate for receiving a ring or similar device attached to a mailsack, and a cam-plate attached to the bifurcated plate and extended over the springplate, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES C. COLEMAN;

Witnesses:

NITA H. MOORMAN, JEAN B. LIssLEY. 

